Naz Suns Guard Josh Gray Called Up By Phoenix Suns

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. – The Phoenix Suns announced Friday that they have called up guard Josh Gray from the Northern Arizona Suns.

Phoenix signed Gray to a 10-day contract, making him the sixth GATORADE Call-Up in Northern Arizona Suns history and third this season.

Gray will wear No. 14 for the Phoenix Suns, and he could make his NBA debut tonight, as his new team hosts the Utah Jazz at Talking Stick Resort Arena at 7 p.m. MT.

Gray (6-1, 180) leaves the Northern Arizona Suns as the team’s all-time leader in points (1,228), assists (410), field goals made (474), field goals attempted (1,065), steals (148), games played (81) and minutes played (2,250). He is second in free throws attempted (237), and sits in third in three-pointers made (114), three-pointers attempted (288) and free throws made (166).

In his NBA G League career, Gray averaged 15.2 points on 44.5 percent shooting, 5.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals. He is the only player in NAZ Suns history to have never missed a game, playing in all 50 games last season and all 31 so far this year. Gray earned the start in 23 of those over the past two years.

This year he was enjoying career-highs across the board, averaging 17.9 points on 44.7 percent shooting (42.1 3PTFG%, 75.8 FT%), 4.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.3 steals. He took over the starting point guard role on Dec. 29, and it resulted in a NBA G League Player of the Week award from games played Jan. 1-7, and a strong month overall. In January, he led the league in steals (28), averaged the seventh most points, was the only player to average 22.0 points while shooting 50 FG% and 40 3PTFG%, and was one of just two (Kadeem Allen) to average 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

Overall this season, Gray was one of seven players averaging 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists. He was third in steals, 14th in assists, and had four 30+ point games on the year, tied for seventh most in the league.

The 24-year-old went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft out of Louisiana State University. Trying out for the Northern Arizona Suns in their inaugural year, Gray made the team and in turn had one of the better seasons as a local tryout in the league’s history. He is the second player to get called up by an NBA team this season who tried out for a NBA G League team at some point in their career (Oklahoma City’s Myke Henry was called up by the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 13).

He has the only triple-double in NAZ Suns history with a 24-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist and five-steal game against the Sioux Falls Skyforce on Nov. 27, 2016.

During this past offseason, Gray played for the Orlando Magic Summer League team and was invited to the NBA G League Elite Mini Camp.

He began his collegiate career at Texas Tech in 2012 where he scored 9.3 PPG in 26.7 MPG in 31 games. He transferred to Odessa College (a junior college) in Texas, where he started 29 games and averaged 33.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. Gray led all JUCO players with that scoring average in 2013-14 by 7.9 points per game. He had eight games of 40+ points, including 61 vs. Ranger and 63 vs. El Centro. Gray played his final two seasons (2014-16) at LSU. He scored 5.4 PPG in 32 contests his senior year.

Gray is the fifth player in NAZ Suns history to get called up to the NBA. Isaiah Canaan got the call from the Phoenix Suns, as did Elijah Millsap, who is currently a member of the Iowa Wolves. Derrick Jones Jr. was called up by the Miami HEAT earlier this season, and Johnny O’Bryant remains with the Charlotte Hornets after getting called up last season. He had been called up by the Denver Nuggets earlier that year.